Autumn Leaves
by argentorum
Summary: Sometimes, from the depths of bitter winter, a new Rose of Autumn can spring-Or, wherein a single act of kindness undoes Cinder's plan, and both sides of the secret war are left scrambling with their pieces without the the most important one even realizing she is on the board in the first place.
1. Prologue: Before the Fall

**Autumn Leaves**

 _Have you heard this story before? Once, long ago, there was a smith in a far off land, and on the eve of a great battle, the King demanded that every horse in the army be reshod. The King wanted the smith to work quickly, you see, but the smith was a man of virtue, and refused to cut even a single corner…_

 **Prologue: Before the Fall**

Even before she came into the power of the Fall Maiden, Amber Fall loved the open road. It spoke to her of new horizons, of strange new peoples, of sights unseen. On the road, staff in one hand and magic in the other, she could meander far and wide as her heart demanded. That her travels inconvenienced Ozpin was only a side benefit.

This time, her heart lead her to the small island of Patch during the fading days of the summer, year 217 Vale Reckoning.

She knew several of Ozpin's supporters had families there, but then, if she refused to go places that the old man might have touched, she would find herself lost in the wilderness in short order. Besides, she reasoned, fall was the perfect season to try new things. She could change, the _world_ could change. She would offer Ozpin the chance to change as well, and keep his nose out of her business despite the opportunity.

It was with this sort of mental… girding… that Amber Fall pushed her way into the colorful little forge that claimed a place of pride next to Patch's central road. A brass bell jingled as the door opened, a mellow tone to go with the warm interior.

Amber walked up to the oak counter, soaking in the heat of the forge that always permeated these kinds of places. Most would find such warmth oppressive, but these little embers, these sparks of mankind's determination of resourcefulness, were one of her favorite places in the world.

"Hello?" she called. The counter stood empty, and the sound of metal striking metal echoed from the back of the shop. "Hello!" No one replied. She looked around for a buzzer or bell to ring, but found nothing. Taking a brief moment to admire the finely made shields and staves that were proudly displayed on the walls, she lifted up the partition and walked into the back room of the smithy. Instead of a well-muscled man or woman, however, Amber caught sight of a young girl tending the forge.

She had pale skin and the hair of the darkest red, the color of Forever Fall at midnight, lit only by the shattered moon. Amber found herself immediately smitten.

The girl was so caught in her task that she missed Amber's entrance. Red hair sparkling in the light of the forge, she dashed between the bellows and the mouth of the forge, barely pausing to work on the metal lying within.

Amber couldn't help but wonder how difficult it must be to keep the forge at just the right temperature all by oneself. With an effort of will, Amber flared her magic, breathing warmth into the coals. It wasn't much, not even enough to set her eyes ablaze, but Amber couldn't help but smile as her efforts made an immediate difference.

The girl smiled when she saw the temperature of the forge holding steady, and began working with even greater alacrity. She removed the metal rod from the flames several times, shaping it with hammer and machine at the nearby anvil, before returning it to heat before the cherry red glow could fade.

The blade of a dagger quickly began to take shape beneath her hands. It didn't look fancy, none of the separate pieces necessary for intricate machinery. Even still, the girl poured her heart and soul into the blade, focused on making a weapon that would last, even if would never transform into a gun or a whip or any number of other things.

It was honest. It was simple.

Amber waited until the girl doused her creation in oil before speaking up. "That's a fine blade."

The girl jumped, squeaking like a mouse. The tongs clattered to the ground as she spun. "H-hey!" The girl said, silver eyes flashing, "You're not supposed to be back here!"

Amber smiled. "Well, I wouldn't have had to come to the forge if there'd been someone at the counter," she said.

The girl blushed, glancing away. "Oh… uh, Mister Gray says I'm not supposed to man the counter…" she said. "Wait, did I forget to flip the sign to 'closed' again? I thought I got it this time! Mister Gray is always telling me to make sure no one comes into the shop while he's away and if it happens again he might kick me out before I can finish my dagger—"

Amber started laughed. "I'm not sure about the sign," she managed, "but the door was unlocked?"

The expression on her face sent Amber into another round of laughter.

The girl blushed, "He only told me to flip the sign…" she mumbled.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy you followed instructions."

"Uuunnnggg..."

"It will be fine." Amber said, ruffling the girl's hair. "Oh my, but you such beautiful hair."

"Oh, uh, Thanks!" The girl chirped. "Oh, I'm Ruby Rose, by the way. My mom always says to introduce myself to new people at the store! Though she always says to introduce myself as 'Autumn', and then Dad tells me that I should only use my real name…"

"Then why would you say Autumn?" Amber asked.

"Well, it's cause my mom's name is Summer, and she really wanted to name me Autumn, 'cause she's Summer Rose and summer comes before fall!" Ruby said. "Dad talked her out of it, but she says that I… um… I 'take after' her! Yeah! So she tells people to call me Autumn, and then Dad says that Ruby is more colorful."

"Really? My name is Amber _Fall_ ," Amber said. "and I have it on good authority that fall is actually the most colorful season."

Ruby's nose scrunched. "Huh?"

Amber leaned in close, as if conveying an important secret. "You have to watch the trees. During the Summer they are all green and bright, yes, but it's during Fall that they show the brightest leaves," she flicked at Ruby's bangs, "just like your hair."

Ruby's eyes widened. "Ooooh! Maybe I should call myself Autumn!"

Amber giggled. "Make sure you bring up that argument next time?" she said. "But anyway… you were talking about a 'Mr. Gray, is he the smith? I was hoping to get my armor repaired, you see."

"Ah, um. It's actually his day off today. I think he said he'd be back tomorrow?"

"Mmm…" Amber frowned, "I'm not staying for that long. I don't suppose you can help me out?"

"Sorry," Ruby said. "Mister Gray says I'm not ready to repair armor. Oh, but I can fix mechashift pieces, as long as your weapon isn't too com… too complex! Mister Gray says I'm pretty good at that!"

Amber sighed. Her weapon was very simple to maintain, and she would feel absolutely criminal if she let a young girl play around with the dust crystals that tipped her staff. "I only need of a few armor repairs."

Ruby frowned thoughtfully. "But Mister Gray always says that 'I should never let a customer leave unsatisfied'…" she murmured. Then she perked up. "Oh I know! You can have the dagger I was working on! I already have the hilt all set for it." Having said such, Ruby dashed over to the workbench with the blade in hand, leaving Amber smiling bemusedly by the forge proper.

"I _do_ have a weapon, dear," she said, patting her staff. "Ouroboros would get jealous if I picked up a new one."

"Well yeah, but you can always have a holdout weapon!" Ruby said. "My dad says that I should always have a dagger with me until I finish my own weapon, and then I told him that weapons are never finished! 'Cause you keep making them better. And then Daddy said that meant I had to have a second weapon with me forever, to hold off all the boys." She paused, "Does that mean I'm only supposed to use Crescent Rose on girls?"

Amber smirked. "Just tell your father that you're playing for the other team," she said.

"I don't think there are teams at Signal…" Ruby said, "My uncle said that we do partners, but they switch every year, so that you get used to working with new people," Before Amber could make another joke, Ruby jumped back to her feet. "Finished!"

"Oh? What does it do?" Amber asked.

"Well, I didn't have room for much, but then I remembered that you wanted a backup weapon!" Ruby said. Amber just smiled. "So I put a spring in the hilt, so that you can launch it up into your palm see!" She held it against her wrist, braced with her opposite hand, and flicked. The hilt extended, launching itself upwards into Ruby's waiting hand. "See—ouch!"

Ruby tossed the dagger away suddenly. "The spring got me…" she said sheepishly, "gonna hafta tune that part. Oh, but first let me get you a sheath, c'mon!"

According to the energetic little girl, Amber's 'poofy sleeves' were perfect for a wrist sheath, and Ruby led her through the fitting process with exuberance. Amber was working out a way to turn down Ruby's offer when the bell rang

"Heya girly," Qrow said. Amber grit her teeth, at the sound of his voice "Whatcha doing around here."

Ozpin promised her that he'd be hands off. He had _promised_ her that—

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby shouted. "Uncle Qrow, Uncle Qrow! Did you come to pick me up from work?"

Qrow snorted. "Where I come from 'work' implies having a job," he said, knuckling Ruby's head. "You been hiding your paychecks from me, squirt? Your uncle has an expensive drinking habit to finance."

"Eewww, Uncle Qrow!" Ruby giggled.

Amber turned.

What surprised her most was that Qrow didn't immediately notice her, even when she was facing him. Instead, the normally gruff and sarcastic huntsman was too busy ribbing his… his niece.

Amber had never seen Qrow so unguarded. She swallowed. "Qrow,"

Then both of them were staring at her. "Do you know each other?" Ruby asked.

Qrow dropped his niece. Amber held back a wince as Ruby hit the ground like a sack of bricks, but Ruby herself seemed inured to such treatment. "Eh?" Qrow said. "Do _you_ know her, yah little weed?" He pushed Ruby behind him.

"'Course I do!" Ruby chirped. "I made this dagger for her."

Something dark flashed across Qrow's expression.

"She didn't really!" Amby said, waving her hands. "I just walked in as she was finishing it and I got swept up in the whole process. Really I couldn't possible take it!"

For a moment, Qrow continued staring at her. Then he snorted.

"Let me take a look at that dagger squirt." He said. He looked it over briefly, before sheathing the blade and handing it to Amber.

"It's a decent blade," he said over her protests. "Nothing fancy, but then, if you liked fancy things we wouldn't be running into each other in places like _this._ "

"I really… can't." She said.

"Eh, don't worry about it, I'll make sure the little rock head here gets what she's due," Qrow said. "Call it a favor, if you don't she'll be whining all the way back to her dad's place."

"That's right!" Ruby said. "Oh and take my business card! Well actually it's Mister Gray's card, but I wrote my name and number on it! If you're ever in Patch again you better come and shop with us! Mister Gray says that's how you build customer loyalty!"

Amber took the card, glancing bemusedly at the childish script, and found that she really had no way to argue. So she strapped the sheath around her forearm and smiled. Then she left the smithy, mounted her horse, and rode away. At the edge of the tree line, Amber glanced back and caught sight of Ruby waving.

It was the last time she would ever set eyes on Ruby Rose.

Despite that, Amber would think of Ruby often.

In the quiet spaces of her life—the roads between the villages, the silences after the storm, the darkness before the dawn—she would play with the dagger Ruby had given her. She would flick it into her grasp and resettle it in the sheath over and over again, motion becoming habit becoming ritual, and Amber would think about that kind little girl with silver eyes.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise then, that Amber was thinking of Ruby Rose two years and six days later, when she plunged that selfsame dagger into her own heart.

When she sacrificed her life to save her soul.

… _and when the victorious King rode back to his kingdom, he found that three nails in each horseshoe had been snapped during the battle, but not the fourth._

 _And so, for the grace of a nail, a horseshoe was saved,  
for the grace of a horseshoe, a horse was saved,  
for the grace of a horse, a King was saved,  
for the grace of a King, a kingdom was saved  
And all for the grace of a nail._

New RWBY story to commemorate Volume five. Are you hype? I'm pretty hype. Gonna be trying for weekly updates this time, so wish me luck.


	2. Just a Child: Part 1

**Autumn Leaves**

" _She had… another weapon."_

" _And was an additional blade enough to undo your your oh so perfect plan?"_

" _No, I… when she saw the glove… she killed herself. I didn't have the chance to—"_

" _You had every chance that you required, Foolish child."_

"…"

" _And I suppose, given your expression, that your… Emerald…was not fortunate enough to receive the Maiden's powers."_

" _No, My Lady, the Fall Maiden is gone."_

" _Then we shall simply have to find her again."_

" _I understand."_

" _This time, try not to be defeated by your own pride."_

* * *  
 **Just a Child—Part 1**

"Go Rubes! Kick some butt!"

Next to his seventeen year old daughter, Taiyang could only laugh. "Geez, you think you'd be a bit more put out that your baby sister is doing better than you are in the tournament."

"Why would I be mad?" Yang said with a grin. "Rubes is kicking serious ass today. A vacation to Mistral and a chance to see my baby sis spread her wings? This is probably the best gift you've ever got me."

"Well I'm glad that I'm able to do _something_ right," Tai said. The two of them shared a laugh.

"But, seriously, Dad, this is a great gift. I'm like the best fighter at Signal right now, except for maybe Ruby after today, yanno? It's cool to see where I stack up in a big regional tournament like this."

Tai said, "Take it easy, hot shot. You got knocked out on day two."

Yang shrugged. "Sometimes you win, and sometimes you get seeded against Pyrrha Nikos in the third round," she said. "And I made her sweat more than any of her other matches so far."

"Heard she's going to beacon," Tai said. "Looking forward to a rematch? I haven't seen anyone push you like that since you're first year at Signal."

"Nah. I'm sure she has more than enough people gunning for her without me jumping on the pile," Yang said. "Besides, she's gonna have to go through Ruby too."

"My little Ruby, making it all the way to the final round of her first tournament," Tai said. "Think she has a shot?"

Yang and Tai shared a glance

"Give 'er hell, Rubes!" They shouted.

Ruby waved at them from the sands of the coliseum. Even from the second ring of seats Yang could easily see her beaming smile. The crowd began to cheer as the tournament's biggest unknown made her way to center stage.

The speakers blared to life. "Lady's. and. Gentlemeeeeeeen!" the announcer roared. "In the Red and Black, coming all the way from the Island of Patch— the Dark Horse combatant that no one expected—the girl who _burned_ her way through the lower division tournament without breaking a sweat, forcing bracket reset out of Andar Steel that carried her all the way to the final round!—Let's hear it for the Girl on Fire: Ruuuuuuuby Roooose!"

The crowd went wild. Chants filled the air, drowning out even the caster's voice. People stood up, pumping their fists in the air and stomping their feet against the ground. Ruby smiled bashfully at the crowd, spurring the spectators on even more.

If there was one thing Remnant loved, it was an Underdog.

Then over the speakers, drums began to play. The opening bars of _Imperial Stride_ swelled up over even the roar of the crowd, and the far gate of the coliseum rose ponderously into the air. Banners rose into the air, trumpets blaring in unison.

"Aaaaand her opponent, the one we've all been waiting for!" The caster roared, "The one contestant that _everyone_ knew was coming! The threeeee time reigning champioooooon! Everybody give it up for the Invincible Girl: Pyrrhaaaaaa Nikooooos!"

"PYR-RHA! PYR-RHA! PYR-RHA! PYR-RHA!"

Yang laughed, pumping her fist in the air with the rest of the crowd. "This is insane!" she shouted.

"They call it the City of Gladiators for a reason!" Tai said. "Biggest tournaments this side of the Vytal festival!"

Slowly, the chanting broke up into scattered cheers before quieting. In the center of the arena, Ruby and Pyrrha shook hands. To Yang's delight, the sound system managed to pick up their words.

"…Good to know that, no matter what happens here, my place on the tournament circuit won't be left empty for long." Pyrrha finished saying.

Ruby tugged at her hood, ducking her head at the older girl's praise. "Well, uh, I'll have big shoes to fill," she said. "I never even thought I'd make it into the upper division…"

Pyrrha smiled, placing a hand of Ruby's shoulder. "Some people are born great," she said kindly. "Others have greatness thrust upon them."

Ruby gaped. Then she giggled. "Wow, you're pretty good at this motivational speech thing."

"I've had practice."

"Good luck?"

Pyrrha nodded. "Best of luck to you."

In unison, Ruby and Pyrrha settled into their stances a few paces away from each other. Ruby's hastily added fire dust crystals glinted on Crescent Rose's exterior.

"Competitors! Are you READY?" The announcer said. The giant screens around the stadium flared to life at their nods, showing the girls' smiling faces and aura bars. "Then…. BEGIN!"

A buzzer blared over the speakers, and Ruby sprang into action. She blurred through the air, leaving a haze of burning razor petals behind.

"And Ruby Rose opens up with her deadly _BURNING BLITZ!"_

In his office, Ozpin watched the battle unfold over steepled fingers. In the monitor: a wave of flame cresting over Pyrrha's shield, forcing the older girl to dash away. "While your information is excellent as always, Qrow, your timing leaves something… to be desired."

"Least she's got good form," Qrow said. Then he winced preemptively, a second later Pyrrha's grieved boot smacked Ruby in the side of her head.

"Indeed," Oz replied. "And we should be so lucky that her 'dust artistry' is indistinct enough to be mistaken as such. The question, as ever, is what we shall be doing about your niece's newfound… ability. Now, I am no great ally of progress reports, but would I be wrong to surmise that, until this point, young Miss Rose has shown absolutely no aptitude for dust manipulation?"

The two figures on Ozpin's screen blurred back and forth across the sands, but the headmaster's gaze never faltered for a second. At this point, Ruby was on the back foot, but between the constant bursts of flames and petals, Pyrrha was unable to close distance.

It looked as those something was aggravating the younger girl, but Ozpin could see the gears turning behind those silver eyes.

Qrow shrugged. "It doesn't really run in the family. And if there's one thing my 'star pupil' does well, it's following in her family's footsteps." He took a long draw from his flask. "Tai should have named her 'Apple', he has the taste for it."

"Now, now," Oz said. "There's no need to be so ornery simply because your brother-in-law chose to take his daughters to Mistral."

"Yeah, well, excuse me if I'm not feeling too charitable at the moment," Qrow said. "Heh, looks like Ruby isn't feeling too charitable right now either."

Indeed, she was running literal rings Pyrrha at the moment, leaving spent casings in her wake.

"You've taught her well. She's even picking up on Miss Nikos's surprising reaction time." Oz said.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "You don't need to butter me up, Oz. Do I look blonde to you?" Qrow said.

"I'm sure Glynda will be happy to know what you really thing of her."

"Hey, she's the one who started the name calling," Qrow said.

Pyrrha went flying from an explosive shot, and rolled out of the way of the next one.

Oz raised an eyebrow. "Didn't the two of you agree 'incorrigible drunk' was, in a word, too accurate to be considered an insult?"

Qrow paused, flask already raised. He grunted and stuffed it back into his coat.

"What's going on in the match?" He said.

The explosive rounds chipped at Pyrrha's aura, but hardly enough to be noticeable. Ruby would run out of bullets first.

With a flash, Ruby tore across the arena. Pyrrha read the movement, easily ducking the wave of fire. She slammed her shield into Ruby's stomach.

"Mmm. It's not going well for our fall maiden," Ozpin said with a wane smile.

"She's testing out a theory," Qrow said.

The two girls clashed again, in an explosion of light and sound.

When she was keeping the older girl at a distance, Ruby almost looked like she stood on equal footing, that her skill maybe even matched Pyrrha's own. Or at least, it looked convincing enough that the spectators held their collective breath as sword met scythe.

The Invincible Girl quickly set that record straight. She slid past every strike. At times, she edged so close to strokes of flame that one could not tell where the embers stopped and her flaming hair began.

Qrow whistled.

"You should have seen her application," Oz said.

But Ruby rolled with the bone shattering blows, spinning like a dervish, gunshots flinging her scythe through the air faster than any mortal could strike.

"So that's her plan," Oz said.

Ruby hooked Pyrrha's shield, bracing her other hand on its face. The blade of her scythe wrapped around Pyrrha in a mockery of an embrace.

Qrow chuckled. "Nobody believes me when I say the scythe is a precision weapon."

To her credit, Pyrrha realized her folly almost immediately. She pushed back, legs tensing.

Ruby pulled the trigger.

Crescent Rose shot back, blade flashing with all the ravenous hunger of the guillotine.

Pyrrha leaped, but her shield, the scythe's haft resting comfortably in its own cutouts, acted as a channel. The girls' own weight held the weapons together.

Red and bronze flashed. Qrow chuckled.

Then, Pyrrha landed on the ground a few feet away, barely a sliver of her aura draining from the boards. This time, the older girl immediately made distance. She hurled her shield like a discus. Sparks flew when it crashed into Crescent Rose.

For a mere handful of seconds, the girls traded shots across the sand. Pyrrha's shield and Ruby's flames filled any space left between the bullets.

"She knows," Qrow said.

"So sure?"

Ruby dodged to the side in a wave of red. She had little maneuverability with her semblance, but the sheer speed alone made up the difference. Pyrrha, no doubt remember this song and dance, played safe and waited for her opponent to run out of bullets.

Qrow nodded in response to Ozpin's question. "Taught her that move myself. Kid spent the next week practicing it every time she had the chance. She doesn't miss."

Oz chuckled. "Which means she must needs know why she _did_ miss this time?"

Ruby played Pyrrha's blind spots, chaining dashes together so quickly that it put a noticeable drain on her aura. But it was enough that even Pyrrha couldn't keep up with human reflex alone.

"You're the one who said she has a 'good head' for this," Qrow said with a shrug. "She's got good instincts. The Fall Maiden's powers just give her the juice to keep going when she mess up… well, as long as she's in the kiddie pool, at least."

One clip fell to the sand. Ruby reloaded with a flourish, hands ghosting along Crescent Rose's grip with such grace that even Ozpin almost missed her sleight of hand. The two veterans shared a single glance as Ruby's next dash carried her back behind Pyrrha once more.

Crescent Rose landed in a reverse grip. Ruby only had a single hand on it, one finger on the trigger.

She pulled it. And then she let go.

The scythe, unburdened, tore through the air like a shot. Pyrrha turned with it, for the briefest moment missing the flash of red that carved a wound in the sand directly towards _her_ instead.

Pyrrha's eyes widened when she saw the scythe. It was barely even a moment's pause.

Ruby took that moment and ran with it for all she was worth.

Pyrrha did not slow. She continued her turn with grace, spinning to face her actual foe with her shield raised to bear—just in time for a fire dust crystal to slam into the bronze disk. One of the two that Ruby had added to Crescent Rose less than week ago.

Ruby blew Pyrrha's guard wide open with a single burst of aura. Green eyes met silver, in the instant before smoke concealed them both.

Pyrrha thrust her spear into the cloud even as the explosion sent her skidding backwards—a blind thrust to end of her charging opponent.

Then the second fire dust crystal, its matrix already glowing with a rapid cascade of energy, flew out of the smoke.

The roar of the crowed drowned out the explosion.

In his office, Ozpin allowed himself a small chuckle. "They'll be legends one day, I imagine."

Qrow snorted. "Yeah, if they live that long," he said, taking another drink. "You still haven't told me what you plan to do with my niece, Oz."

"Well. I imagine that I might offer her a place at my school," he said. "Do you think she'll accept?"


	3. Just a Child: Part 2

**Autumn Leaves**

" _I'm not entirely sure why_ she _should be afforded another chance. Especially since the girl was right under her nose for the better part of a season."_

" _I was out of mistral on_ your _lead!"_

" _You spent all that time chasing ghosts, when the real one was right under your nose! Hehehe, ghosts! Get it? Because the last one killed herself!"_

" _I see no need to defend myself against a mad man."_

" _Even when he's right?"_

" _You…"_

" _Enough. All of you. The plan remains the same."_

 **Just a Child—Part 2**

Ruby could only tug her hood lower as yet another reporter stepped in front of her. Her weak smile had faltered three minor news outlets ago.

"Miss Rose?" the man asked. "Miss Ruby Rose? Think you could spare a moment?" He already had his scroll and stylus at the ready. The sight filled Ruby with existential dread.

"I… uh, actually I'm running late?" she said.

"It will only be a minute I promise."

Ruby kept walking "No really, my flight…" she started. Was it too much for even one of these people to just give up? Ruby didn't even know that Vale had this many different reporters. "I need to get to the port."

The man guffawed. Really there was no other word for how his laughter echoed off the nearby buildings. "I'm sure a girl as fast as you won't have any trouble getting there in time."

I will if reporters keep getting in my way, Ruby thought. She wished she had the strength to say it out loud. Instead, she only hunched deeper into her cloak. "I… uh…"

"It's only a few questions, I swear," he said, smiling. "Everyone wants to know about this new sponsorship deal that's up in the air. What are your thoughts on SDC's offer?"

Ruby could only shiver.

"I, uh, well it was very, kind of them," she managed. Somehow, the reporter had fallen in step beside her. Her last line of defense was quickly crumbling; Yang never said what to do _after_ walking away! "I've been more focused on Beacon?"

"Not taking anything for granted I see," the man said. "Surely after taking first place in the Mistral Regional, a simple entrance exam won't pose much more challenge?"

"I—no it's just that, I'm still wrapping my head around the whole sponsorships thing. Like, is it even something that happens to normal people? I don't really know what to do about that so I've just been focusing on… stuff that I can actually work on."

"Nothing you'd like to say on the terms of the deal? I've heard some rumors of course…"

Ruby held back another shiver, slightly increasing her pace. "Not… really? I mean—"

"Ruby! There you are!" Ruby perked up, before she realized that she didn't recognize the voice.

The reporter, on the other hand, very much did. "Miss Schnee!" he said. "You and Miss Rose are on good terms, I see. You know, I was just asking her about your company's sponsorship deal..."

"And I'm sure that if you contacted our publicity department, they could give you all the information you desire," Weiss said. "Now if you'll excuse us."

Her hand closed around Ruby's wrist like a vice, and for the moment she found herself caught between two great opposing forces. She felt like she was standing on the precipice of a momentous choice, between the man and his questions or Weiss and… whoever else may be in that Schnee Dust Company car idling on the street. It was something that might even define her future for years to come…

And then Weiss promptly took that decision out of Ruby's hands as she pulled the younger girl into the car and shut the door behind her.

"To the sky port, please," Weiss said to the chauffer. She gave a 'look' to the reporter through the tinted glass as the car pulled away. "Honestly, the nerve of those people."

Ruby, for her part, only glanced around the car with thinly veiled relief when she didn't see another person in the car. She still remembered when the SDC had approached her shortly after the tournament with their sponsorship deal, when ruby had still been riding high on her impossible victory.

At first the terms had sounded nice, plenty of dust, top of the line parts to upgrade her weapon, and lien to boot. But then the 'exec' had started talking about things like image rights and only buying from the SDC and about modifying her emblem and _who does that?!_ It was the last thing she'd ever gotten from her mother and they told her that it 'wasn't good enough'. It killed any interest Ruby had in the partnership.

"…Weiss?" Ruby asked, cutting off the heiress's rant about journalists. "Why are you here?" If anything, she thought the SDC would be less interested in her at the moment.

"I'm heading to Beacon as well, of course," Weiss said. Internally, Ruby blanched. These people knew her schedule too?

Weiss smiled charmingly, but then Weiss always seemed to smile charmingly. "I saw you on the sidewalk, and assisting you seemed like the appropriate response. We're going to be classmates after all, and I'm sure we'd be _excellent_ partners as well."

"Oh," Ruby said. "… is this about the sponsorship?"

Weiss blinked once. "What? No of course not! It's simply that our styles are so complimentary. Dust users are always incredibly powerful, with the two of us together we'll be the strongest pair at beacon."

Ruby fought the urge to slump. Dad had always said that people would be after her for her body. Now she finally knew what that meant.

"So this isn't about the sponsorship?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "If you feel the need to turn down an obviously beneficial partnership, I'm certainly not going to try and convince you otherwise" she said.

Ruby felt the urge to ask what about the 'partnership' was so obviously beneficial, but she was more than a little afraid that Weiss would have an answer.

"… Oh look, we're at the port!" Ruby said. "Thanks for the ride!" She opened the car door as the vehicle rolled to a stop.

"And where are you going?" Weiss asked archly. As a huntress candidate herself, the heiress had no trouble keeping up with Ruby as they made their way into the building proper.

"Well… you know… I'm just meeting up with my sister."

"You can introduce us then," Weiss said. "I'm sure she'll be happy to make my acquaintance."

Ruby worried her lip. "Actually, we were thinking it would just be a family thing…before we're all off at Beacon and busy all the time and stuff!"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "You know, if I didn't know any better. I'd say that you were trying to get _rid_ of me. That's almost rude, especially after I helped you with that reporter _._ "

"Wha—No!" Ruby started, waving her hands back and forth in alarm. "Nothing like that, it's just, you know, family time?"

"I don't see why you're being so insistent about it."

Ruby fought back the urge to slump. "Is it really so weird that I want to spend some time with my family…"

"It is if you're excluding your future partner," Weiss said.

"That wasn't actually a question…" Ruby grumbled.

Weiss huffed. "Would it kill you to have a little more gratitude?" she said. "Or have you not noticed that no one has bothered you since we got here?"

"I—what does that have to do with _anything?"_

"The SDC has a very clear policy in regards to reporters," Weiss said. "The 'professionals' know what my response will be, and the amateurs are intimidated."

Ruby blinked once, but when she glanced around she could easily tell that everyone in the building was giving her and Weiss plenty of space. She even saw a few cameras, but despite how much they'd hounded her this morning, not a single reporter came close enough to talk.

"This is the part where you thank me."

"Uh… thanks?" Ruby said.

"So where is your sister anyway?"

"Well, she said she was going to be waiting by the gate." Ruby shrugged. "You don't _have_ to meet my whole family or anything."

"It hardly makes sense for me to wander off _now_. We're taking the same airship."

Ruby wondered why she wasn't taking a personal airship, or why Weiss was in Vale before the start of the semester at all, instead of just flying down from Atlas directly. Still, Weiss would probably have a 'good reason' for that as well. With a small sigh, Ruby resigned herself to the older girl's company.

They didn't find Yang at the gate.

"Running late, maybe?"

Ruby shook her head. "She should have got here before me…" With a frown she pulled out her scroll, flicking over to Yang's contact.

"And who exactly are you?" Came Weiss's voice. Ruby glanced up as she made the call, catching sight of Weiss standing between her and grey haired teenager that had come up out of the crowd.

"Easy Ice Princess," he said with a smirk. "I'm just a fan, you know?"

"I'm sure," Weiss said, voice dripping with condescension. "We aren't talking to any more reporters today, thank you."

Ruby decided to make her call and let Weiss do the arguing for her this time around. After the scroll buzzed a few times Yang's face popped up. "Ruby!" she said, "where the hell are you?"

Ruby blinked once at her sister's red eyes. "Yang?" she started. As a little sister, Ruby knew it took more than a bit to get Yang's semblance acting up like that. "I'm at the gate?"

"Huh? What do you mean, I was just following you."

Ruby frowned, shaking her head. "I just got here."

"That's—"

Someone grabbed Ruby's arm. She jerked to the side. "Hey!"

"Ruby? What's wrong?"

Ruby's head whipped around, trying to pull away from the grey haired teen. His grip felt like iron.

Ruby saw a flash of silver, and suddenly she was free, backpedaling frantically over the smooth tiled floor. As she regained her balance, she notices that Weiss had placed the tip of her rapier on the teenager's throat.

A mutter swept through the crowd, which Weiss stoically ignored. "Ruffian," she said. "Keep your grubby hands to yourself, if you please." The cylinder in her hilt spun menacingly.

As she regained her balance Ruby saw something dark flash across the man's face. Then he pasted on another smile. "C'mon, all I want is an autograph, Snow Angel."

"Do not," Weiss said, "call me that."

"Look I even have the figurine," he shot back. Ruby held back a wince as the teen held up one of the limited edition 'Giant Slayer' metal figures. At the time, they had sounded like a great idea, but the sight of her likeness clutched in this stranger's hand made Ruby want to retch.

Ruby turned to the side. "Please, leave me alone," she said.

From the corner of her eye she saw the teenager glance around, no doubt noticing the amount of attention they had drawn. "Wow, guess celebrities really are the same." His easy smirk didn't waver, even as he braced his thumb against head off of the figurine. With a sharp _snap_ he broke it off. Ruby flinched as the two pieces fell to the ground.

With that parting remarked, he turned and slipped into the crowed, the first few rows of gawkers parting silently for him.

"What a complete…" Weiss started.

"Rubes? You okay?" Yang asked over the scroll.

"I." Ruby shook her head once, pushing down the hotness behind her eyes. "I'll see you on the ship okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Okay," Yang said. She put on one of her sunlight stealing grins, "Hey, walk it off! You're a champ, sis!"

Ruby managed a small smile in reply.


	4. Just a Child: Part 3

**Autumn Leaves**

" _The 'heiress' got in the way. Guess we're sunk, eh boss?"_

" _Hardly. We are simply switching to a direct approach."_

" _What the idiot isn't saying is that he blew his cover sky high."_

" _What can I say? I enjoy watching them squirm. By the way, think you can get a copy of the camera feed from that gate?"_

" _You're such a creep."_

" _After approaching the girl so openly, I doubt you would have gone unnoticed regardless."_

" _Hmph, still could have done it better."_

" _And you?"_

" _No one should suspect a thing, Ma'am."_

" _Good…Off you go then. It wouldn't do to miss your flight."_

 **Just a Child—Part 3**

Ruby felt relieved that the other applicants seemed content to watch her from a distance, as the airship took them all to Beacon. Though, Yang's death glare probably had something to do with that. She'd been in full mama bear mode since the port.

"God what an ass!" Yang told her. "You ever see that guy again, just let me know and—"

"Yang, no," Ruby said. "I… I mean yeah he wasn't very nice and everybody was just watching but I—it's my fault too."

"Autumn…"

"I let him walk all over me. I let _everyone_ walk all over me." Ruby looked down. She stayed silent for a long moment, before drawing herself back up, hands smoothing the ruffles of her skirt. "I'm… I'm a regional combat champion. Maybe I should start acting like it?"

Yang blinked. Then a slow grin slipped over her features. "What happened to being 'normal', Ruby?" She slipped one arm over Ruby's shoulders, pulling her sister into a tight hug. "Huh? Weren't you all 'Yang! Nothing's gonna change okay!' "

"Yaaang!"

Yang laughed.

After a second Ruby stopped squirming so much. She huffed. "Well, if everyone's gonna make a big deal about it, then things are different anyway right?" she said. "So I should just roll with the punches!"

"Sounds like a great plan!"

"Yeah?"

"Of course! So what's _fist_ on your to do list?"

"… Yang, no."

"Yang, yes!"

Ruby slumped. "Weiss didn't make fun of me like this."

"I dunno, Rubes, she was kinda looking at you like you an infinite dust dispenser. Or a vibrator made out of lien."

"…Sooo, before I puke on your shoes because of that… does this mean you don't think I should take any sponsorship deals?"

Yang shrugged. "Do you want to give up Mom's emblem or just your first born?" She grinned. "And if you get any on my clothes I'll kill you."

Ruby took a deep breath, before letting it out through her nose.

The video screens, which until that point had been running a news article about the recent rise in dust thefts, switched to the image of a severe blond woman. "Greetings, Beacon Applicants," she said. "I am the deputy headmistress, Glynda Goodwitch, and I would like to be the first to welcome you to Beacon Academy."

"Woah, sweet." Yang said, moving to the window. On the horizon, the green tipped spear of Beacon tower rose over the bluff. Students one and all moved to get a better look.

In the back of the crowd Ruby Rose, looked over her potential classmates. She'd seen Beacon, had flow out for a tour at Headmaster Ozpin's request, and she knew that the students, rather than the school, would be the first challenge she would face. Taking a deep breath, she moved towards the front of the ship.

The landing at Beacon itself passed in a blur. Yang and Weiss both vanished into the crowd, and Ruby had enough people circling her as she made her way to the great hall. She barely heard Ozpin's speech, and navigating her sleeping arrangements in the ballroom seemed both to take a small eternity and end the moment Ruby put her head to her pillow.

She didn't talk to anyone more than a simple exchange of pleasantries, there were too many new faces, people who wanted a glimpse of the Giant Slayer, for Ruby to do anything more. The next morning she found herself on the edge of Beacon Plateau, overlooking the Emerald Forest as Ozpin laid out what was expected of them.

"Your teammates," Ozpin continued "will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Ruby held back a small shudder. Yes teams were scary, but… she could make it work. She knew she could make it work.

"That being said...the first person you make eye contact after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Something shattered in Ruby's chest. It felt like hope.

But then, she took a deep breath, she hadn't held a hope of beating Pyrrha Nikos either… and that turned out okay in the end. She let out that breath, running over Ozpin's last words. Get to the temple, grab a relic, and get it— and her as of yet unknown partner— back to the cliff in one piece.

The man in green sipped his coffee once. "Any questions?"

For a moment Ruby wondered if she could ask for a partner do over. Some of the people the people in the line looked kinda sketchy… but then, that probably wouldn't go over very well.

The blonde guy next to her raised his hand weakly. "Uh, about that landing strategy part…?" he said. Ruby cocked an eyebrow at his nervous tone. Wasn't he the one who started flirting with Weiss this morning like some big shot?

"Good, it appears that you are all ready to begin," Ozpin said.

With a heavy clank, the platform all the way to Ruby's left fired, launching a green haired girl into the air. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch didn't so much as blink.

Ruby sank into a ready stance as the next platform activated, then the one after. Crescent Rose extended with a comforting whir. For a moment she was caught up wondering how the launching mechanism worked. Was each pad separate, or were they connected by gears?

Another student went flying over the forest, and Ruby pushed those thoughts of her head. As the seconds counted down, however, she couldn't help but notice the guy standing next to her becoming increasingly nervous. She frowned, had the guy somehow made it all the way to Beacon without ever using a landing strategy?

Then the felt the platform vibrate under her feet, as the catapult mechanism winched into place, and there was no more time for those thoughts.

Ruby pushed off, flaring her semblance just as the launching system activated. She needed to get to the ground fast as possible. Crescent Rose thundered in agreement, each round pushing her down towards the canopy. Suddenly, she was falling more than flying.

Flipping in the air, Ruby spun the haft of her darling in rapid circles. Fire erupted from the weapon in a tornado like burst. The nearest leaves were charred black.

With a dozen feet to go, she sensed that her speed had slowed to something manageable. From there it was a short drop, hooking her scythe's head around a sturdy branch, and landing on her feet at the top of the tree.

"C'mon, c'mon…" She muttered, turning her gaze skyward. Deeper into the forest, she could already see patches of displaces birds taking to the air. If she had to guess… Yang would probably be the one with the most fallen trees and Weiss… the farthest away? She had no idea how to pick out Pyrrha, so it looked like those were her—

"aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA—"

Ruby's head snapped up, silver eyes flashing as she picked out the form of that blond kid who'd been standing next to her. Unlike Ruby, he tumbled head over heels through the air without an ounce of control. Falling faster now, there was no way he'd be able to right himself before hitting the trees. If that didn't shatter his aura, it would no doubt drain it to the point of exhaustion.

If he hit the ground wrong, he would die.

Ruby crouched before she even realized that she'd made a decision. But then, Hunters were supposed to be heroes, and what kind of hero would she be if she let someone fall to their death right in front of her?

He was going to die.

"AaaaaaaAAAA—"

He'd accepted that from the moment the stupid metal plate had thrown him off the cliff.

"AAAAAAAaaaAAAAA—"

He was going to die, and his body would be shipped back to his family in a bag.

"AAAAAA—"breath "Aaaaaaa—"

In multiple bags, actually, like bits of slurry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

It was fine, right? It was expected, right? Everyone had told him that he didn't have the skills to be a hunter. Everyone had told him—

Something slammed into him from the side. Blue eyes met silver.

The girl who caught him smiled. "Just dropping in?"

Jaune jerked in surprise. Silver eyes widened, and suddenly they were both spinning again.

"Oh crud!" the girl shouted. "Oh crud, oh crud oh crud!"

"I—" Jaune started. Then the wind shoved the words back down his throat.

"Just—I got this just hold on!"

They jerked once, as a thunderous retort echoed through the forest. Then there was another, and another. Out of the corner of his eye, Jaune caught a glimpse of the girls black combat boots braced against a blade as her weapon fired again and again.

They were still going too fast. Even a dummy like him could see that.

Half flailing, he managed to get his shield arm out behind them. Crocea Mors snapped open, catching the wind like a sail. His entire body jerked, arm burning like he'd dislocated a shoulder, but he kept the shield steady. It should be enough, it had to be e—

"Brace yourself!"

"WhaaAAA—!"

Suddenly he was ripped out of the girl's grasp. He spun through the void for a timeless second, everything around him blurring into a single strand. Jaune curled inward just in time to hit something. A cry of pain tore itself out of his throat. Then he crashed through a small forest of branches, landing on the ground with a heavy thud.

For a moment he lay there, unmoving. His breath came in short, frantic gasps. Each time he tried to move, a lance of agony would shoot up his shield arm. Somehow Crocea Mors hadn't flown out of its sheath, but its added weight only made it harder from Jaune to lift his arm.

Maybe if he was lucky, the girl would come back and chop it off, so it wouldn't hurt so much.

With a gasp, Jaune managed to collapse and remove his shield, forcing himself into a sitting position. "Ugh…" he muttered, "how, exactly, did I think that this was a good idea?" He hissed as the movement jostles his arm, before cradling it to his chest. "Still—nothing for it now… right?"

"Hey!" The girl's voice came. "Hey, where are you?"

Jaune looked around. "I'm over here!" He called, then he winced. "Dang, is everything going to hurt now?"

In a second the girl landed in front of him. Now that Jaune wasn't falling to his death or crashing into trees, he could finally get a good look at her. She was dressed in black, with red accents to match her bright cloak. It looked a bit short on her, but in that super cool hunter way he'd always envied.

"Hey," he said, slowly raising his good arm. "I'm Jaune Arc. I guess we're partners?"

"Yep!" The girl said. She bit her lip, Jaune blinked. "Um, are you okay though? We kinda need to get moving…"

"Ah you see… um,"

"Oh! I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose." she said.

Well, Michele always said to be honest. "Ah, hey. I'd love to get moving, but I, uh, think I broke my arm." He gestured to it, before wincing again. "Or maybe dislocated it?" He tried to hold back a groan he ran his fingers over his shoulder. The skin was already swelling.

"Um…" Ruby tilted her head. "Do you think your aura can fix it?"

"…Aura? What's… tch, that?"

Ruby blinked once. "Uuuummm…" She started at Jaune for a long moment. "You don't… know what Aura is?"

Jaune felt a drop of sweat that had nothing to do with the pain slide down the side of his face. "No?" he said. "I—ow! Oowww!"

"Jaune how did you get into Beacon without knowing about Aura?" Ruby almost shouted.

No, don't ask that question! Don't ask that question! Somehow he managed to keep a blank face. "You should'a seen my transcripts," he bit out.

For a moment, Ruby said nothing. Then she started pacing back and for rapidly, muttering under her breath. After a few minutes she stopped. "Okay," she said, "okay. I know what to do. I'm, going to awaken your aura. She stopped "Ooh… how did the chant go? Does that part even matter?" Ruby wrung her hands. "Uh, uh, It is in parting… no passing… it is in passing that… that we—"

The howl of a beowolf cut her short. Jaune's gaze snapped to the trees, where he could make out shadows and darkness. This time, however, the darkness had eyes. He swallowed once, good arm scrambling for his sword.

Even… even if he was going to die here…

"Oh crud no time." In a flash of rose petals Ruby was kneeling next to his side, both of her hands placed over his chest. For the third time that day, their eyes met. Her silver orbs seemed to glow with an unquenchable inner fire.

" _Live!"_ she said.

And then his entire body was awash with light.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm going do my best to give some attention to this story, in between real life and the other projects I've been working on. No promises on update rate, but hopefully I won't vanish off the face of the planet again, yeah?

Brief side note, for those that have read my other RWBY Story and are wondering about it's status (especially as I'm back on the RWBY horse). I'm... revisiting it. But that's going to be a long time coming, there's a lot that needs to change for me to feel satisfied with that story. For the time being, I hope you all can at least enjoy this one.

Thank you all for reading! Don't forget to leave a review and fave if you like the story!


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